KLM flight KL-685 had to return and make an emergency landing in Amsterdam, Netherlands, on January 7th.
The Boeing 747-400 plane took off for Mexico City, Mexico, but had to turn back due to suspected bird strikes.
The plane landed back safely. All passengers and crew members remained safe.
Sriwijaya Air flight SJ-1159 had to return and make an emergency landing in Guangzhou, China, on February 22nd.
The plane took off for Bali, Indonesia, but had to turn back after the crew received indication of an open passenger door.
The plane landed back safely. There were 180 passengers and 12 crew members aboard at the time; all of them remained unharmed.
Austrian Airlines flight OS-215 had to return and make an emergency landing in Vienna, Austria, on October 18th.
The plane took off for Leipzig, Germany, but had to turn back due to an issue with the cabin pressurization system.
The plane landed safely. All thirty-five passengers aboard remained unharmed.
Jet Airways flight 9W-536 had to divert and make an emergency landing at Muscat International Airport, Oman, on the afternoon of July 9.
The plane, en-route to Dubai from Mumbai, had to be landed in emergency after Air Traffic Controllers alerted the pilot about a bomb threat.
A Jet Airways spokesperson Manish Kalghatgi confirmed, “There was a bomb threat on the flight. It was a serious threat prompting the pilot to land at the closest airport.”
The plane landed uneventfully and all 54 passengers and 7 crew members remained safe. The flight continued after security clearance.
China Eastern Airlines flight MU-277 had to divert and make an emergency landing in Qingdao, China, on July 19th.
The plane heading from Yantai, China, to Osaka, Japan, was diverted due to a hydraulic failure.
The plane landed safely. Everyone aboard remained unharmed.
Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
Contact photographer Petr Gorbunov
What: Rossiya Airbus A319-100 en route from St. Petersburg to Moscow
Where: St. Petersburg, Russia
When: Oct 7th 2011
Why: After takeoff, the plane developed engine failure in the left engine.
The pilots shut down the left engine and returned to make a safe landing.
The flight was in the air less than twenty minutes. A replacement jet was provided within three hours.
Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
Contact photographer Michael Charles Bartholomew
What: Lufthansa Cityline Avro RJ-85 en route from Linz Austria to Frankfurt
Where: Linz
When: Nov 29th
Who: 61 passengers and 4 crew
Why: By the time the flight took off, there was smoke not only in the cockpit but also in the cabin. After the plane landed safely, one individual was treated for shock; otherwise there were no injuries reported. The cause of the smoke was not released.